Willems, M. (2009). The Pigeon Has To Go To School. Disney-Hyperion.
Summary
Humans place their fear in what they do not understand, but did you know pigeons do too?!? In this 9th book in the "Pigeon" collection, Mo Willems helps show that sometimes the scary unknown isn't always as scary as we think. Pigeon is forced to go to school, but he absolutely does not want to go. He gives every reason why it is imperative that he not attend school by thinking of every possible bad scenario that could happen to him. By the time he rationalizes what should help someone through their school journey, he realizes that it's exactly what he needs. Watch Pigeon rationalize in this hilarious tantrum of a book.
A Teacher's Perspective
Pigeon begins to complain about going to school on the title page. He's halfway blocked the title asking you not to read the rest of the book. He absolutely does not want to go to school, and this 2nd person perspective of a story character speaking to an unnamed reader is quite entertaining. The fonts change from small to large when he's feeling upset, and when he admits he is scared, they shrink down to how small he feels. The story is easily read, nothing cluttering the pages, and the endpapers are different to represent his journey from not wanting to go to school to understanding why he should go.
Pigeon is a great example of teaching fear of the unknown, and would be a great precursor to any lesson on Mood and Tone in the ELA classroom.
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Here's a GREAT read-aloud for back to school for the younger grades. Enjoy!
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